Briquetting apparatus



Jan. 9, 1951 sMn-H 2,537,920

BRIQUETTING APPARATUS Filed July 50, 1947 Q N, g

INVENTOR G/enn Sm/f/v Patented Jan. 9, 1951 BRIQUETTIN G APPARATUS Glenn Smith, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Blaw Knox Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application July so, 1947, Serial No. 764,751

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for molding solid fuel such as coal in granular form mixed with a binder into blocks of predetermined size and shape.

Various types of briquetting apparatus have been known heretofore and it is an object of my invention to improve generally thereupon, particularly with a view to increasing the efiiciency and economy of operation and the quantity and quality of the product, thereby reducing the cost. In a preferred embodiment, I provide a combination of two sets of mold chambers, a feed hopper and a ram for each, with an operating means common to the two rams for effecting working strokes thereof alternately in opposite directions, and agitating means actuated by the rams for insuring free flow of the material from the hoppers into the chambers. More specifically, I employ spaced tables having partitions spaced therealong which define the mold chambers. A vertical plate reciprocable through each table forms the end wall of all chambers on the table. The ram-operating means, conveniently a cylinder and piston, is located between the tables. The agitating means comprises slice bars reciprocable through the hoppers above the rams. A lostmotion connection between the rams and slice bars causes the latter to be moved slightly as the rams approach their extreme positions.

A complete understanding of the invention n may be obtained from the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical central longitudinal section through the apparatus showing parts in elevation;

Figure 2 is a portion of Figure 1 showing one of the rams in alternate position;

Figure 3 is a partial horizontal section taken along the plane of line III-J11 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a partial end elevation. Referring in detail to the drawings, tables l0 and H of any convenient length are mounted in spaced, parallel relation on any suitable supporting frame l2. Transoms It and it extend along the outer edges of the tables being supported in spaced relation thereabove on blocks 55. The tables l0 and H have slots therealong accommodating vertically reciprocable plates 56 q and IT. A cylinder and piston it are provided for operating each plate and may conveniently be mounted on the frame 12. As shown in Figure 1, the plates are flush with the tops of the ham soms l3 and [4 when in their uppermost position 2 and with the tops of the tables In and II in their lowermost positions.

Partitions F9 are spaced along the tables H] and H adjacent the slots through which the plates it and l'i operate. The edges of the partitions remote from the slots are beveled as l formed from metal plate of suitable thickness by slotting one edge as at 25, leaving portions 26 therebetween adapted to enter theindividual mold chambers. The rams are connected to a piston rod 27 reciprocable in a cylinder 28. As shown, the piston rod extends outwardly through both ends of the cylinder. The cylinder is double acting and is connected to any suitable source of fluid pressure under the control of a four-way valve whereby the piston in the cylinder may be subjected to operating pressure, first on one side and then onthe other.

Slice bars 29 are slidable horizontally through slots in the walls of the hoppers 2! for the purpose of lightly agitating the material 22 to insure its free flow downwardly onto the tables 20 and I I for compression in the mold chambers. As in- .dicated in Figure 4, the slice bars are fewer in number than the mold chambers. There may, for example, be twenty to thirty mold chambers on each of the tables but only a relatively few slice bars, e. g, six, will suffice to agitate the material in each hopper sufficiently to insure free flow thereof onto the table. The slice bars are actuated by the rains through a shoi't distance only, as they approach their extreme positions, by means of a lost-motion coiinectioii. This connection comprises posts 39 extending upwardly from the rains having pins .31 extending" therethrough and through longitudinal slots 32 formed in the slice bars. The length of the Slots iS made slightly less than the stroke of the piston in the cylinder 23 so that the bars will be ac-- tllatecl through a Short distance as the monster:- proach their final position on movement in either direction;

In the operation or the apparatus, the rains 23 and 24 are moved back and forth across the tables In and H. The vertical movement of the plates or cross walls l6 and ll is properly synchronized with the movement of the rams so as to close the ends of the mold chambers toward which one of the rams is approaching. Figure 1 illustrates the positions of the parts when the rams are in their extreme, right-hand position. Considering first the left-hand portion of the figure, it will be observed that the plate I6 is raised, closing the ends of the mold chambers on the table 10. It will also be observed that the ends of the ram portions 26 are retracted to a position flush with the lower edge of the inner wall of the hopper 2i, thus permitting material 22 to flow downwardly onto the table from whence it may be pushed into the mold chambers and compressed. This is accomplished by operating the control valve of the cylinder 28 to cause the piston therein to move to the left. When the several charges of material pushed into the mold chambers have been sufficiently compressed, as shown in Figure 2, the pressure in the cylinder 28 is relieved to permit the vertical plate IE to be lowered without binding. The cylinders is, of course, are provided with suitable connections to the source of fluid pressure and control valves similar to that which controls the cylinde 28. When the plate l6 has been lowered to the position in which plate ll is shown at the right of Figure l, the cylinder 28 is operated to move the rams further to the left, thereby ejecting the blocks formed in the mold chambers onto the edge of the table Ill from whence they move step by step on successive operations, to an apron plate 33 extending laterally from the edge of the table. This condition of the parts may be ob served at the right-hand end of Figure 1.

Just before the rams reach the limit of their leftward movement, the pins 3! on the posts 30 engage the ends of the slots 32 in the slice bars 29. Thereafter, the slice bars move with the rams for the remaining portion of their travel, say 1" or so. This movement of the slice bars tends to loosen the material above the rams and break up any arching or hanging of the material. As the rams reach the leftward limit of their travel, the material 22 flows downwardly from the right-hand hopper 2| into the space on the table H in front of the ram 2 1-, this flow being aided by the loosening effect resulting from the slight movement of the slice bars described above. The plate ll is then elevated to close the ends of the mold chambers on the table II preparator to movement of the rams toward the right for molding another series of blocks under pressure. The operation thus continues in a complete alternating cycle, a series of blocks being formed on each reciprocation of the rams in either direction. The formed blocks may be taken from the aprons 33 in any convenient manner for further handling or preparation, e. g., packaging.

It will be apparent that the invention is characterized by numerous advantages. The construction of the apparatus is simple so that it may be made and operated at relatively low cost and without requiring extensive maintenance. The use of a common power means, i. e., the cylinder 28, for operating both the rams whereby a plurality of molded blocks are produced on each ram stroke in either direction reduces the amount of fluid which has to be pumped and thereby increases the efficiency and lowers the operating cost. The slice bars effectively prevent clogging of the material in the hoppers and cause it to feed downwardly each time a ram is retracted, thus insuring complete filling of the mold chambers so that the finished blocks are without voids and are characterized by uniformity in shape and weight. The bars being wide but of small thickness exert sufficient frictional agitation of the material without any substantial obstruction to the vertical flow. They operate by shearing through the mass of material to break up any tendecy toward arching and cause it to fiow freely to charge the mold chambers.

Although I have illustrated and described but a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that changes in the details of construction disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In briquetting apparatus for granular coal particles or the like, in combination, a generally horizontal table, upright partitions spaced along said table in parallel alignment, a girt across the tops of said partitions, an end wall across one end of said partitions, said table, partitions, girt and end wall forming a set of side-by-side rectangular mold chambers of uniform cross section, a hopper extending across and above said mold chambers adjacent the ends of said partitions away from said end wall, a ram adapted to reciprocate toward and away from said mold chambers in directions parallel to said partitions, said ram having finger portions defined by slots therebetween extending a portion of the length of said ram, said finger portions being adapted to pass into said mold chambers at the end opposite to said end wall to mold with said partitions accommodated by said slots and with the remainder of said ram substantially cutting off said hopper, and mean for reciprocating said ram.

2. In briquetting apparatus for granular coal particles or the like, in combination, a generally horizontal table, upright partitions spaced along said table in parallel alignment, a girt across the tops of said partitions, a movable plate forming an end wall across one end of said partitions, said table, partitions, girt and end wall forming a set of side-by-side rectangular mold chambers of uniform cross section, a hopper extending across and above said mold chambers adjacent the ends of said partitions away from said end wall, a ram adapted to reciprocate toward and away from said mold chambers in directions parallel to said partitions, said ram having finger portions defined by slots therebetween extending a portion of the length of said ram, said finger portions being adapted to pass into said mold chambers at the end opposite to said end wall to mold said particles into briquettes and to eject said briquettes when said movable plate is removed, said partitions being accommodated by said slots during said molding and ejection while the remainder of said ram substantially cuts off said hopper, means for moving said movable plate, and means for reciprocating said ram.

3. In briquetting apparatus for granular coal particles or the like, in combination, a frame, tables in alignment on opposite sides of the center of said frame, said tables being generally horizontal, upright partitions spaced along each of said tables with the planes of said partitions parallel to the general alignment between said tables, a girt across the tops of the respective partitions on each of said tables, an end wall across the outer ends of said respective partitions, said table, partitions, girt and end Wall forming a set of side-by-side rectangular mold chambers of uniform cross section on each of said tables, said mold chambers in each set extending transversely of the general alignment between said tables, a hopper along the inner edge of said respective girts and extending across and above said mold chambers, a reciprocable ram on each side of the center of the frame and in opposed aligned relation to each other, said rams being rigidly connected respectively inwardly of said mold chambers and adapted to slide into said chambers beneath said hopper, said rams further having outwardly extending finger portions parallel to said partitions and defined by slots therebetween extending a portion of the length of said rams, said finger portions being adapted to pass into said mold chambers to mold with said respective partitions accommodated by said slots in said respective rams and with the remainder of said rams substantially cutting ofi said respective hoppers, and a double-acting reciprocating means for said rams.

4. In briquetting apparatus for granular coal particles or the like, in combination, a frame,

tables in alignment on opposite sides of the center of said frame, said tables being generally horizontal, upright partitions spaced along each of said tables with the planes of said partitions parallel to the general alignment between said tables, a girt across the tops of the respective partitions on each of said tables, movable plates respectively forming an end wall across the outer ends of said respective partitions, said table, partitions, girt and end wall forming a set of side-by-side rectangular mold chambers of uniform cross section on each of said tables, said mold chambers in each set extending transversely of the general alignment between said tables, a hopper along the inner edge of said respective girts and extending across and above said mold chambers, a reciprocable ram on each side of the center of the frame and in opposed aligned relation to each other, said rams being rigidly connected respectively inwardly of said mold chambers and adapted to reciprocate toward and away from said mold chambers in directions parallel to said partitions, said rams having finger portions defined by slots therebetween extending a portion of the length of each of said rams, said finger portions being adapted respectively to pass into the respective sets of said mold chambers to mold said particles into briquettes and to pass through said mold chambers to eject said briquettes when said movable plate is removed, said respective partitions being accommodated by said respective slots and with the remainder of said rams substantially cutting off said respective hoppers, a double-acting reciprocating means for said rams, and synchronized means for moving said movable plates.

GLENN SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 281,923 Rayner July 24, 1883 535,074 Parker Mar. 5, 1895 544,054 Simpson Aug. 6, 1895 729,149 Fenn May 26, 1903 768,127 Jaques Aug. 23, 1904 815,532 Hills Mar. 20, 1906 896,427 Abbott Aug. 18, 1908 2,094,885 Goss et a1. Oct. 5, 1937 

